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I’m a PA with 12 years of experience in orthopedic surgery. I’m interested in making a change and getting into dermatology for a better lifestyle and a comparable salary. Ideally I’d like to get into a an aesthetics practice including fillers, Botox, laser treatments, etc. I live in south Florida and there is no shortage of this type of practice but everyone seems to want experience.
I see that there are various training courses for this type of thing that can be anywhere from 1 day to 2 weeks in length and are on the expensive side.
I’m looking for advice on what training I can proactively do to make myself as marketable as possible for this type of job.
Im also curious if my idea of cosmetic derm is actually an improvement over my current salary/situation in Florida. In my mind I will certainly take a pay cut in the beginning but will be earning more money than I make now on my second or subsequent years with a similar lifestyle.
I currently make 120K and work M-F, no nights, no weekends. 22 days PTO (sick days and CME days come out of this) plus 7 holidays, no CME allowance but after you pay you can submit receipts and hope for reimbursement, licensure and certification fees reimbursed with receipt, no malpractice (sovereign immunity in existing job), 403-b with matching to a certain amount, partial healthcare coverage, and short term disability insurance.
This was lengthy... I appreciate any advice or feedback.
-K

Any derm PA's out there who work at Kaiser, Sutter, CA Skin Institute, Berman, or other larger corporations? I'm working in private practice now and have a lot of flexibility with my schedule which is nice, but not the kind of benefits and salary I think I could potentially have at the other. Could you share your experience as far as schedule, salary and/or benefits? And, if you've worked both private and/or corporate, which do you prefer and why? Thank you!

Hello everyone! I had recently posted about a derm offer, but I got another offer at a different practice/state and would love some thoughts on this one.
Salary: 36 hour work week, Training salary for 4 months at a rate of 75K, and then 80K with bonus of 10% for collections exceeding 60K for a 3 month period that will be paid quarterly.
Time off: 2 weeks PTO, 1 week of sick time, 2 days for CME and 2 personal days along with 7 paid holidays.
Malpractice covered. 50% of tail coverage if I stay with practice for 2 years.
CME: 1K
Health insurance plan: 280/mo towards it
401K: allowed to enroll after 1 year
Restrictive covenant for 7.5 miles
State: Pennsylvania, outside philly
Counters that I’m thinking:
- I’m okay with the training period salary but will counter with 90K w/ 10% collections
- 5 days for CME
- Tail coverage required now
- CME 2K
- I need to get more info on the health insurance aspect.
I really really like the Physician and she has a great plan for how to train/incorporate me into the practice. I feel like it would be a great opportunity but I also want to ensure I’m making the right decision realistically.
I would love any input from you guys! Thank you!

Hi everyone!
3 years in Derm.
Right now :
1. Part time pay $57.50 an hour no benefits except 401k he’s putting in 3%. Only PA in solo practice. One time bonus in December of $1,500. Pays for all CME activities no cap, but does not pay accommodations or other expenses.
2. Work 20-25 hours a week. I tally about 60 patients a week and sometimes less.
3. I Do some cosmetics
4. I was offered productivity based salary at first, had no Derm experience but I declined because I was brand new to practice. Worked IM 3 years before starting.
offered
same base salary : part time hourly $57.50
productivity: net Collections first year 3%, 2nd year 4% and 3rd year 5% above 200k. Reports quarterly but collected and calculated from Whole practice
30% in cosmetic procedures
Same benefits as above
Any thoughts?

Hello All,
I am graduating in July and am starting to look into contract negotiation and will take any advise I can get.
I just completed a rotation in dermatology and got an "unofficial" job offer. I want to move forward with it and want to arm myself with the tools necessary to negotiate a contract.
My first question is SALARY negotiation. Yes, I know this is a hard question to answer without knowing the other benefits. I really don't know much logistics with this particular practice, or really any as a matter of fact. Here is what I do know, its a private practice (1 of 20) that is owned by ONE physician- pretty impressive! I would be working with one other physician in this particular practice. I would be doing general & cosmetic dermatology. So, what would be a reasonable starting salary if there were no benefits offered?
Any tips or advice would be so helpful.
Thank you! :)

Hello! I am going to be applying to PA schools and I am highly interested in derm. I know this is a long time away but I just want to learn more about certain specialties.
I was looking at jobs for derm PAs on Indeed and some other websites and I noticed they need 1-3 years experience.
Is there any way to graduate PA school and start working immediately for a dermatologist or do you need to work your way through another specialty and then apply for a PA derm position?

I’m applying to PA school and in the mean time I have been interested in working as an esthetician while working as a CNA. I plan on going to esthetician school for a couple months bc I love skin care.
I was wondering what it is like to own and run or even work at a medical spa. What are your days like? What kind of work do you do? Do your work with a doctor who owns most of the company or can you legally own your own company and hire a doctor as an independent contractor?

I am having trouble with starting my personal statement. People keep telling me to start it off with an experience or anecdote to draw the readers in..There is not just ONE experience that sparked my dream of working in the medical field. I feel as though the various experiences I have had collectively have drawn me into the medical field. Here are a few topics I was thinking of starting my personal statement with..Please give me any feedback! (I am interested in specializing in dermatology, but by no means am I committed to this specialty!!)
1.) I currently work as a medical assistant in dermatology..maybe I could talk about some of the experiences I have had doing this such as surgery, dealing with patients, etc...
2.) My personal history of malignant melanoma, and how that led me to volunteer for the melanoma foundation, become a public speaker and tell my story to educate/raise awareness to young adults/teens...now I work as a derm medical assistant
3.) (Completely unrelated to derm) Worked in a nursing home and happened to be at the right place at the right time when a resident was having a stroke...(this was an experience to remember, but not my topic of choice)
I would then discuss shadowing PAs and MDs and why I want to be a PA....bla bla bla
Please let me know what you think! I am lost right now!
I appreciate your help!

This offer is for a position in a small single physician surgical dermatology private practice office in a highly affluent community outside of Los Angeles, CA. The physician is an experienced Moh's surgeon who deals almost exclusively in skin cancer, reconstruction, and cosmetics (no medical derm). She is offering a "training year" and I am seeking a "foot in the door" with dermatology.
Let me preface this post by saying I know it's a pretty rough offer, but my hope is once developing a skill set within surgical dermatology. I'd hope to become an asset to the practice in order to negotiate a better deal or become more marketable to another derm practice that may give me a better offer.
Salaried at $4800/month for the first 3 months, $5600/month for the next 3 months, and $6400/month for the next 6 months ($69,600 pretaxed).
"On Call" weekends and holidays to field the occasional phone call.
Hours are essentially "open to close" at the office usually between 10-12 hours a day mon-fri until i'm trained well enough to know when its ok to cut out early. Exempt employee status with no set breaks, lunch, or overtime compensation.
Profit sharing 401k pension plan where the employer gives 7.5% of annual salary toward retirement with a vesting schedule that becomes completely matured after 6 years. So after 1 year, 0% vested, 2 years 20%, 3 years 40% vested, 4 years 60% vested, 5 years 80%, and 6 years 100%.
CME money is limited to any actual amount. It’s approved on case by case basis and seems like ill rarely have much say in how it’s used.
Malpractice is clams made without tail
Health insurance is covered 50% after the first 3 months for the first year. Then 100% covered starting after the first year.
PTO is 7 holidays where the office is closed anyways. 10 additional days will accrue over the first year, 11 the next year, 12 after that, and so on.
I appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks!

My original plan was/is to get an EMT certification this summer term and try to hop on with a hospital as an ER/ED Tech afterwards. I figured that'd be the ideal way to not only rack up the hours of HCE, but also be surrounded by loads of docs and PAs that I could potentially shadow and get letters of recommendation from. I also thought it'd be best since at the moment I prefer the idea of working in emergency medicine when I'm a PA.
However, I've recently noticed that a dermatology medical surgical assistant position has become available at a local dermatology group near me with no prior experience or credentials required. The job listing claims they'll train you on the job.
Should I continue with my original plan to get CPR + EMT certified and hop on with a hospital, or should I try my luck at that derm position?

I am an experienced PA with 6.5 years total experience - 3 years in surgery and 3.5 years in dermatology.
I got a job offer in major city in North Carolina.
$120 K base Salary
4.5 day workweek, avg. 30-35 patients/day, but they are expecting to see more
20% production bonus on collections over $250 K after 16 months
$1500 / year for CME
$1500 / year for license and DEA
Malpractice and health insurance
3 weeks for vacation/sick/CME; 4 weeks after 1 year
24 month non-compete covering five counties in the metro area where they have offices.
If anyone has the recent AAPA Salary report, can you give me some feedback?

A New Grad derm offer I received in Northern VA: (previous HCE: SA in Derm x 5 years)
Term: 3 years. Training x 6 months. Expectation 20-25 pts a day thereafter
Hours: M-F 9am-5pm, "Occasional Saturdays" 8am-12pm
Base: 80k
Bonus: Shall be compensated at a rate equal to 15% of collections above 150K/year
Mal-practice: Covered w/o tail
Vacation: 1 week vacation for every 6 months employed with practice
Non-compete: 15miles x 2 years
ALL other benefits: ambiguous, contract says things like:
Sick leave: "as per terms and provisions of the employee manual" (which I was told hasn't been updated in 25 years)
Personal time: no explicit mention besides, "personal time may not be accumulated from one year to the next"
Holidays: no explicit mention
CME allowance/educational leave: no explicit mention
Health coverage: "in accordance with the policies of the medical practice"
Holidays: No explicit mention
Professional memberships/licensing/etc: will pay "certain" basic memberships to include state and county medical society dues and hospital medical staff dues, state license, "certain" federal and state narcotic licenses and such other benefits as may be established, adopted, and modified from "time to time" by the medical practice for other PAs.
--
During the actual interview, I spoke with the current PA about most of the above and she pretty much said...everything is covered and she's not had any issues since she's worked there (2.5 years as new grad, no derm experience straight out of PA school). Although I believed her, I am finding it difficult for the practice to secure these things in writing. Also, since the employee manual is so outdated I have nothing else to reference.
Therefore, I am pretty much back on the hunt

Hello! First year applicant and slowly getting my CASPA application together.
I work as a phyical therapy aide. By the time I apply I will have about 1200-1300 hours HCE. Now, at least half of each hour I am directly touching patients whether it is measuring, stabilizing, etc..
On CASPA would I say I have 1200 HCE hours and 600 of those being Direct patient contact, or would I have to split them 600 and 600 for each?
Thank you again!

Hey all!
I am getting ready to interview for a dermatology "residency" position at a very large and expanding dermatology clinic with offices that serve almost the entire state I live in. After requesting the interview with me, the company sent me a very simplistic form of the terms of the contract for residency prior to interviewing. Holy crap, it is a DOOZY. So, without further ado...
4 Year MINIMUM contract.
1st yr: "fellowship pay" = $30,000/yr
2nd-4th yrs: $90,000 + 25% production bonus above $400,000 in collections
$2000 CME
Licensing fees/textbooks/equipment paid
Full benefits (paid? not paid? not sure.)
Covered malpractice w/ tail.
No mention of PTO or vacation days.
3 Year RESTRICTIVE COVENANT for 30 mile radius of all clinics this practice owns (not just the one you worked in). Thus, you are basically barred from employment unless you leave this area for good. Or, it's a $100,000 buyout. I'm PRETTY CERTAIN RCs are not enforceable, especially without a partnership agreement.
There you have it, folks. I haven't canceled the interview yet, because my curiosity is piqued to hear their logic behind this befuddling term sheet. But I'm certainly not signing up for anything remotely close to that.

Hey everyone,
I am new to the forum and have seen that there is a lot of experience on here. I will be graduating in August and have a job offer in derm. I worked there before as a medical assistant and so negotiations feel a little more touchy if that makes sense. Here are the details:
-$70,000 for first year
-Full benefits for me, my wife and dependents
-3 wks PTO
-1 wk CME with $2,000 allowance
-malpractice covered
-society/membership fees covered (to a point)
-noncompete for 2 years in 8 mile radius
-second year will get a raise and will be base salary plus production bonus (no specifics on how much raise or bonus structure)
What do you guys think? I don't want to be greedy but I think 70,000 is still on the low side even for a training year in derm. I really like the office and don't want to overstep by asking for a sign-on bonus or maybe to consider a raise once I start seeing patients. I am in Utah by the way.
Any advice or feedback is appreciated. Thanks

Hi,
I am a new graduate in the northern VA/MD area (DC suburbs) and completed a 4 week derm rotation during clinicals. I received an offer recently and want to see how it compares to other derm PAs, and what I should negotiate for... Based on the recent AAPA salary report, a PA with 0-1 years of experience makes $90,000 in the 75% and $100,000 in the 90%, not including bonus. I would expect this area to make in 90% since it serves several of the "richest counties in the U.S."
78,000 base salary, reassessed after 5 months and again at one year (will shadow for first ~3 months)
5 days per week, 9-5
Bonus- 20% after 300,000 generated
eligibility for health insurance after 3 months
$3000 CME annually
License fees paid
$50 tax free cell phone/month
3 week paid vacation--- including sick/vacation/CME
Noncompete for 2 years after employment of 5 mile radius
Payment of your employer taxes and malpractice insurance premiums by the practice.
To compare, I recently got offered a family med offer also, paying $78,000 for first 3 months, then $80,000 with $2,000 CME, 3 weeks vacation, 1 week CME, 6 days sick leave, employer contributed health insurance, and covered dental insurance...
I know the salary is low, based on the area, even if I am shadowing/training for first few months. What should I renegotiate? I really want to work in dermatology and know that I need the experience to break into the field.

I am have been a full time emergency physician assistant and part-time orthopedic surgery first assist PA since I graduated in 2012 but I am interested in transitioning into dermatology.
I currently live in Raleigh, North Carolina and I am finding it difficulty to get my foot in the door without prior dermatology experience.
I have contacted a hand full of local dermatologist but they are either not hiring and/or unable to allow me to shadow as they are precepting students.
I have even joined SDPA in order to network.
Any suggestions on how to make the transition?!? Thanks for your advice!!

I am looking for a Derm PA with a minimum of years of Derm experience and to be able to manage all aspects of patient care with limited supervision. Competetive salary with unlimited potential growth. Practice has multiple locations in surrounding areas of Dayton and Cincinnatti. Shedule and locations may be tailered to meet your needs. Contact Matt Kintz, Practice Manager, directly at mkintz.reeder@gmail.com and at 937-438-5333X263

Hi!
I will be going into my senior year of college in the fall as a Public Health major. It need some advice on becoming a PA....
The reason why I want to pursue a career as a PA is because of my experience with one. When I was 18 years old I was diagnosed with melanoma. My usual dermatologist was out one day and I saw the dermatology PA instead...she was even better than my usual doctor...so engaging and personable. Ever since she has sparked the idea in my head of becoming a PA...
I am just really curious on current or past PA students experiences getting accepted into school. I currently have a 3.2 GPA (and hope it keeps going up). I have little to no direct patient care experience. I work in a nursing home in the dietary services...and have been a volunteer with the Melanoma Foundation of New England for 3 years. (Running events and speaking to colleges|high schools on melanoma) I need to take only 3 more prerequisites after I graduate with my bachelors degree...
Basically...I need all the advice I can get! I have no guidance in this from professors at my school and want to know your experiences! When should I apply to school?? What should I do to get direct patient care experience? Is becoming a PCA at my nursing home too safe or do I need to become an EMT or phlebotomist??
I look forward to hearing from you!

Hi all, this was taken from the AAPA web site:
AAPA and SDPA Respond to AAD Initiative with Restrictive Requirements
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recently announced the DermCare Team. While this new program has a commendable premise of inclusion of all team members, AAPA and the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants (SDPA) oppose the program’s restrictive attestation requirement and have written a letter outlining their concerns to the AAD President and DermCare Team Implementation Workgroup.
The attestation requires DermCare Teams to adhere to AAD’s “Position Statement on The Practice of Dermatology: Protecting and Preserving Patient Safety and Quality Care.” This policy, which requires dermatologists to provide “direct, on-site supervision,” is far more restrictive than state PA practice acts and does not reflect recent advances in team collaboration.
The letter calls for the DermCare Team program and AAD to either drop the attestation requirement or update the policy to reflect the present and future model of PA-physician collaboration. If there is no change, AAPA and SDPA will actively discourage PAs and their physician colleagues from signing up and participating in AAD’s DermCare Team program.
Read the full AAPA and SDPA letter or, for more information on this issue, please contact Ann Davis, MS, PA-C, vice president of constituent organization outreach and advocacy.
- See more at: https://www.aapa.org/twocolumn.aspx?id=2147485047#sthash.NWxlWNKv.dpuf.
I think its ridiculous. just wanted to know what you guys think. Also, I brought it up to my SP and he seemed ambivalent to my surprise. He seems to agree with above in some ways. I am new to the practice and I still consider myself a new grad. even though I have been practicing for less than 2 years. I am also his first PA. what pointers can I discuss with my SP? he seems open to discussing my concerns.

Hey all -
I am a current 2nd year PA student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. I am interested in moving to Denver after I graduate. I am not in a position to do full clinical rotations in the Colorado area due to finances, but I am hopeful I can meet a surgeon or surgical PA in the Denver area that is willing to allow shadowing on one Friday or on a weekend each month. My interests thus far are in dermatology, cardiology, neurology and urology (all very different, I know...).
My best friend lives in Denver and I plan to drive out to Denver and stay with her for several 3-day weekends during my next few semesters. My hope is to be able to shadow a physician or PA in the Denver area on Fridays/weekends while I'm visiting the area. If there is anyone willing to allow me to sit in on clinic days here and there, I would greatly appreciate it! Please contact if so. My phone number is 816-853-0388, and email is ag4h9@mail.umkc.edu.
Thank you!
Allison

Hi everyone,
I need some help here.
I graduated this past December 2013. I was hired in February at a solo physician practice dermatology office. She wanted me to do a 'mini residency' with her so I shadowed her and did some procedures for 3 months at $1000/month. Then I started seeing my own patients after that time frame. At this point I was part-time at $60,000/year working about 25 hours/week. By the end of July my patient load was full and I was seeing patients every 10 minutes. We had discussed before I signed the contract about going full time and negotiating higher pay and we were going to discuss that after a few months of seeing my own patients. My bonuses (I believe) are structured in a very strange way. They are my quarterly salary subtracted from 18% of collected revenue. As opposed to what most people I have heard do where they get 20% of collections after they have doubled their yearly salary. We are now talking about me working 33 hours per week and I would like to have a more full-time salary to mirror this. I get 10 days paid vacation and 5 days CME up to 1500. I get no dental, health, short term leave, or 401K even if I am full time.
My questions here are, should I re-negotiate how my bonuses are structured?
What would be fair compensation for a base salary for 33 hours/week?
Should these values be higher because I have no benefits?
Thank you SO much for your time!!!

Hi,
My name is Kristin. I'm currently working on my master in NYC and I'm in my clinical rotations year. I'm very eager to start a career in Dermatology but I am having a hard time finding a rotation in Dermatology. My school says they have very few Derm connections and that my chances of getting a rotation in this field are slim. Therefore, I have taken it into my own hands to reach to whom ever I can in order to find a Dermatology preceptor. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much!
Kristin